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GOLLAPSIBLE TUBE HOLDER Filed July 19, 1937 ATTORNEYS Patented May 24, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT @FFME COLLAPSIBLE TUBE HOLDER.

Warren C'. Craig, Little Rock, Ark.

Application July 19, 1937, Serial No. 154,489

1 Claim. (Cl. 221-60) The invention relates to a collapsible tube holder and more especially to a dispensing cabinet for paste tubes.

- The primary object of the invention is the provision of a cabinet of this character, wherein the same effects an efficient and sanitary dispensing device for toothpaste and shaving soaps contained within collapsible or soft metal tubes or containers so as to avoid waste of the materials to be dispensed and will accommodate varying sizes of tubes or containers.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a cabinet of this character, wherein the collapsible tubes or containers are held in a manner for the dispensing of the contents thereof, the cabinet being of novel construction and is equipped with swinging valves, manually operated for opening and closing the said tubes or containers, the cabinet being of novel construction in its entirety.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a cabinet of this character, wherein the collapsible tubes or containers are held within compartments which are independent or separated from each other` and have their discharge ends socketed in the cabinet at the bottom thereof for the convenient dispensing of the contents of the tubes or containers and these ends are closed by valves, thereby eliminating the usual screw caps for the ends of the tubes or containers and in the use of the valves it eliminates the misplacing of the caps as well as avoiding messy tubes or containers as well as the waste of the contents thereof in the dispensing of the same,

permitting the dispensing of such contents in a ready and easy manner either upon a brush or on the linger of a user.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a cabinet of this character, which is simple in its construction, thoroughly reliable and efficient in operation, susceptible of being hung upon a support or wall, readily and easily operated, neat in appearance and inexpensive to manufacture.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which discloses the preferred embodiment of the invention and pointed out in the claim hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is an eleva-tion of the cabinet constructed in accordance with the invention showing diagrammatically two paste tubes or containers held therein.

Figure 2 is a sectional View on the line 2 2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan View showing by 5 dotted lines one of the valves in open position and by full lines both valves in closed position.

Figure 4 is a sectional View on the line ll-ll of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Similar reference characters indicate corre- 10 sponding parts throughout the several views in the drawing.

Referring to the drawing in detail, A designates generally a cabinet constructed in accordance with the invention and involves a housing or cas- 15 ing body formed with a back plate 5 from which forwardly extends a columnar body 6 of sheet metal closed at its bottom "I, sides 8 and having a vertically slotted front 9 while the top of this body is open at I Il, respectively. The slots II 2O in the front 9 extend vertically of the body 6 for the major extent thereof and within this body centrally of the same is a vertical partition I2 separating the body into vertical columnar magazines or chambers I3 for accommodating there- 25 in collapsible tubes or containers I4 for toothpastes, shaving cream, soaps or the like. Each of the tubes or containers Ill is of conventional construction having as usual the externally threaded dispensing nozzle or nipple end I5 which 30 is accommodated within a hole or opening I6 provided in the bottom 1, one for each magazine or chamber I3 so that this nozzle or nipple will protrude below the bottom 'l when held within the cabinet A for service. 35

Formed on the sides 8 exteriorly of the body 6 are loop-like toothbrush holders I'I for releasably accommodating toothbrushes I8 when not in use.

Fitting the chambers or spaces I3 are external peripherally knurled squeezing rollers I8 which 40 are adapted to roll within the said magazines or spaces I3 vertically and ride upon the tubes or containers I4 therein for compressing or collapsing the same when manually turned, the said rollers I8' being accessible for operation through 45 the slots II in the front 9 of the body 6 and the knurled peripheral surfaces IS of these rollers avoid any possibility of the slipping of the fingers of an operator upon said rollers when actuating the same through the said slots I I. 50

The action of the rollers I8 causing the collapsing of the tubes Ill effects the dispensing of the contents of the said tubes or containers through the nozzle or nipple ends I5.

Arranged in vertically disposed pintle sleeves 55 20 formed externally of the body 6 on the sides 8 next to the back plate 5 are the upstanding turning pintles 2| of elbow arms 22 having guide eyes 23 in which are slidably fitted stems 24 of disk-like closure valves 25 for the nozzle or nipple ends I5 tapped in and projected through the holes or openings I6 in the bottom 'I of the body 6. Surroundingr the stems 24 of the valves 25 and seated upon the eyes 23 are coiled tensioning springs 26. These springs 26 urge the valves 25 in seating relation to the nipples or nozzles I5 when axially aligned therewith, the stems 24 at the outermost or lower ends thereof being formed with externally knurled finger gripping knobs or terminal heads 21 so that said valves 25 can be manually unseated from the nipples or nozzles I5 and through the arms 22 swngingly supporting the said valves 25 turned arcuately in a lateral direction away from the nipples or nozzles I5 for the opening of the said tubes or containers I4 and through the action of the rollers I8' the contents thereof may be dispensed therefrom. These valves 25 normally close the tubes or containers I4 at the nozzle or nipple ends I5, the closing position of the said valves being shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing by full lines while by dotted lines one of the valves is shown in open position in Figure 3.

The rollers I8 when manually operated travel the length of the tubes or containers I4 and effect the collapsing or compressing thereof for the dispensing of the contents of the same when active. The back plate 5 has formed therein key hole shaped slots 28 for the engagement of the cabinet upon fasteners for securing it upon a support or wall, the fasteners being not shown and are received in the slots 28.

What is claimed is:

The combination with a body forming a magazine for a coll-apsible tube and having a perforated end accommodating a discharge nipple of said tube, of a pintle sleeve formed exteriorly on the body at one side thereof, a pintle arm rotatably fitting said sleeve and having an eye extension at substantially right angles thereto, a disk-like closure valve engageable with the tube discharge nipple exteriorly of the body and having a stem slid-ably fitting the eye extension, a coiled tensioning spring about the stem and seated against the eye extension and the said valve for holding the latter against the said nipple on the turning of the eye extension in one direction, and a knurled head formed on the stem and depending with relation to the eye extension.

WARREN C. CRAIG. 

